Our computers have become a necessary part of our lives. We use them for doing work, corresponding with friends and family and even for entertainment. Over time, most computer users create many file that are important documents which could cost both time and money if lost. Data backups are the best way to ensure you don’t lose any of those files.
Many people think of backups as something large companies or computer geeks do. Or they might plan on doing it when the get the chance. Every one of those people has either already lost data due to some kind of problem with their system or they will one day. Every piece of computer equipment has a lifespan and is going to fail one day or another.
When that failure occurs, one of two things will happen. If you have a backup, you’ll restore it back onto your repaired computer or a replacement. If you don’t, you’ll be pulling your hair out over the lost files, music, digital photos and all the other stuff you store on your machine.
There are many ways to lose the information on your computer. Besides the obvious hardware failures, there are floods, fire, power surges or even your child unplugging the computer at the wrong moment. Your computer could also be infected by a virus or spyware that wipes everything out.
Having that data stored in a backup is often the only way to get it back. And even if it can be recovered by a data recovery service, it can cost thousands of dollars for them to do the work.
What to Backup?
For the average user, it’s usually not necessary to backup every file on the computer, which would require large storage space. But at bare minimum home users should backup personal files and irreplaceable software. Spreadsheets with financial records not easily available from other sources, legal documents, work-in-progress… the list is large.
But backups needn’t be.
The easiest way to backup your files is to use the software that comes with most operating systems. Windows includes one, as does Mac OS X, Linux and others. These programs are usually pretty straightforward and it’s just a matter of selecting the files and folders you want to save. Many of them can even be scheduled to run in the middle of the night or some other time you’re not using your computer.
If you want something with more features, there are plenty of programs you can purchase. These paid versions often include additional features, such as the ability to backup only the files that have changed since the last backup was done.
Some data, such as e-mails are only slightly more difficult to protect. Some e-mail clients can be configured to keep copies of received and sent e-mails on the e-mail server. When that’s not an option, most can export messages to a file, which can then be backed up.
Backups can be saved to almost any type of drive or media - writable CD’s, DVD’s, USB memory sticks or removable hard drives for example. If you’re really stuck you might even be able to backup your files to a floppy disk. Word processing documents and spreadsheets don’t take up very much space at all.
Daily backups are one more thing to do in a busy schedule. But the day you lose that file you need and can’t restore, you’re going to be a whole lot busier.